1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to alcohol soluble or dispersible polyether amide polymers. Further, the present invention is also directed towards the use of those polyetheramide polymers in personal care compositions.
2. Background Information
Personal care and cosmetic preparations have been used to improve people's appearance for centuries. Today, cosmetic preparations are widely used, with their formulations and functions being numerous and varied. To supply the performance and aesthetics desired, many of these cosmetic preparations contain various types of polymers. For example, polymers are used in skin care creams and lotions for different properties such as, among others, viscosity, flow, and emulsification. As a specific example in skin care, polymers are used in sunscreen formulations to provide rub-off resistance and waterproofing. In hair care products, polymers have been used for any number of properties including thickening, conditioning, emulsification, stability, and fixatives.
Polymer technologies continue to evolve to meet the changing needs of the cosmetic market. The quantity and types of polymer technologies vary greatly; however, there still exists areas yet to be explored and market needs left unaddressed.
In the case of hair fixative compositions, there has been a growing market need for hair fixative polymers that provide performance attributes of flexible hold, with a soft natural feel that has no adhesive tackiness, no raspiness and no brittle feel, while also providing humidity resistance, and be removable by shampoo. Most hair fixative compositions contain a film forming polymer that acts as a fixative, as well as a system for delivering that film-former, which is usually an alcohol or a mixture of alcohol and water. For aerosols, the delivery system will also contain a propellant.
Due to evolving environmental regulations controlling the emission of volatile organic components (“VOCs”) into the atmosphere, water is being used to a greater degree in hair fixative compositions. As such, hair fixative polymers need to be able to function or be soluble in systems containing a range of alcohol, water and, in the case of aerosols, propellants, while providing the above mentioned performance attributes. Current hair fixatives do not provide this needed balance of properties.
Accordingly, there is a continued need for hair fixative polymers that provide the above mentioned performance attributes and solubility in hair fixative delivery systems.